How Donald Trump Caused New England Patriots Fans to Root for the Atlanta Falcons

And some fans even donated to charities every time the Patriots scored.

The New England Patriots are no strangers to the Super Bowl, having won four championships prior to tonight's game. And while Bostonians (and New Englanders in general) are known for their unwavering sportsmanship, this year has felt very different. Why? Over the past several months, Patriots fans have been reminded of the fact that several of the team's key members have close ties to President Donald Trump.

Star quarterback Tom Brady is reportedly a Trump supporter, and a good friend of the president. In September 2015, Brady was first spotted wearing a red "Make America Great Again Hat" and went on record saying that he thought it would be "great" if Trump became the next commander-in-chief. And over the summer, when the Access Hollywood tapes came out, showing Trump bragging about sexual assault, Brady refused to denounce the comments. In fact, when he was asked about it by a reporter at a press conference, he refused to answer and simply walked away from his podium.

Brady isn't the only one who is connected to Trump. Bill Belichick, the Patriots' coach, and team owner Robert Kraft have also aligned themselves with Trump in the past. On the eve of the 2016 election, then-candidate Trump read a letter that Belichick reportedly wrote for him while at a rally in New Hampshire, where the coach complimented Trump on doing a "tremendous job." Kraft is also a good friend of Trump's; the president reportedly called the Patriots' owner once a week for an entire year after Kraft's wife passed away. And just a few days after the 2016 election, Kraft was seen heading into Trump Tower for a meeting.

According a poll released before this year's Super Bowl, only 27% of people were rooting for the Patriots. The same poll also deduced that the Patriots have become the most hated team in the NFL, despite the fact that they're one of the most successful franchises in the league.

Leading up to the game, there was much more talk about politics than usual — with a mix of fear and hope that everyone from Lady Gaga to players on the field would be forced to address the recent election. Comedian Josh Gondelman, who writes for the HBO series Last Week Tonight, started a campaign entitled #AGoodGame urging people to donate to organizations battling the Trump administration on a number of issues whenever the Patriots scored. In a tweet, he explained that "because of Tom Brady's garbage politics" he planned to donate $100 for every Patriots touchdown and $50 for every field goal to the National Legal Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

Gondelman explained that he had been a Patriots fan for the majority of his life, but because of Brady, Belichick, and Kraft, he is finding it hard to support the team this year. He encouraged his followers to join the campaign, and the #AGoodGame hashtag quickly took off. Throughout the entire Super Bowl, people took to Twitter to share how much they were donating and why. The campaign serves as a reminder that the majority of the population is dissatisfied with President Trump, and will continue to fight against his decisions every step of the way, even when the Super Bowl is involved.